OGC announced as official partner of Earth Challenge 2020

3 May 2018: The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is proud to announce that is an official partner of Earth Challenge 2020, a citizen science initiative that will mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in 2020. Earth Challenge 2020 is organized by Earth Day Network, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the U.S. Department of State through the Eco-Capitals Forum.

Earth Challenge 2020 aims to engage millions of global citizens in collecting one billion data points across areas such as air and water quality, pollution, and human health. Citizen science volunteers around the world, working with professional scientists, will collect and share earth science data of their local communities on an unprecedented scale, providing new insight into the state of our environment.

OGC will support this initiative through identifying requirements and mechanisms for standardizing the collection and exchange of data by these volunteers. The work undertaken by OGC will leverage existing standards and lead to new standards tailored to citizen science and other methods for collecting non-authoritative data.

Earth Challenge 2020 will result in a platform of open source data that will live, grow and connect with other global efforts, including those of governments, multilateral, and scientific institutions and non-governmental organizations. Additionally, the initiative will include a broad and cross-cutting social media effort, encouraging participants to share stories, videos, photos, and other media to build a global movement and community.

On the first Earth Day in 1970, 20 million people joined together to change the way we understand and manage the environment. Today, with the inclusion of new communications technology, people have the capacity to measure and make decisions about their own environment. With the support of valued partners and global citizens, Earth Challenge 2020 has the potential to be the largest coordinated citizen science project ever attempted on Earth.

In addition to the partners named above, Earth Challenge 2020 is conducted in collaboration with Connect4Climate - World Bank Group, Conservation X Labs, Hult Prize, National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE), Reset, SciStarter, UN Environment, and others yet to be announced.

To sign up for updates or to get involved email or for a complete list of partners visit the Earth Challenge 2020 website.